Untitled)
by Sketchy
Summary: Skittery is getting fed up with his sister. But she's got problems of her own.


**Skittery and his sister. Me story of them. This is before the strike, about a year or so. I hope ya likes it. Lots of feedback!   
**  
-1-  


Skittery sighed. His life was not the best it could be at the moment. He had just recently found out he had a sister, Ginny. He wasn't really sure what had happened, but she said her mother's last dying wish was that he and she be reunited. Skittery was positive this little girl claiming to be his sister was just a freeloader. Even if the guys thought she looked like him. Even if she did know his real name. She was a fake. And at the time, she was annoying the heck out of him.   
"Skittery," she laughed and he jumped a little, "I can see why they call you that. You spook easy. Wanna know what my friends called me when I lived with Mama?"   
"Not particularly," Skittery said, rolling his eyes. He was trying to sell his papes, he really was. You'd think girls outgrew their annoying habits by fourteen. But no such luck with this one.   
"They called me Frecks cuz of my freckles!"  
"Great ta know." Put simply, Skittery was miffed. Ginny had been following him around for the whole time she had been here. How long had it been? Two days, at the most. But it seemed like ages.   
He got done selling his papes in a little while, Ginny holding a one-sided conversation the whole time. Skittery made an effort to acknowledge her once in a while. She was, after all, supposed to be his sister. Even if he didn't think she was, he was sure she was starved for attention. Otherwise, she wouldn't be hanging on his every move.   
Skittery made his way to Tibby's for some food. His stomach was growling and he had earned enough to buy a hotdog and have some left over for rent. He opened the door and looked around, to see if any of his good friends were there. He spotted Mush and Blink and Race, the three Musketeers, as they were called, in one corner. He didn't really know them well so he went and sat with Jake and Snipeshooter.   
"Hey," he said as he slid into the booth next to Jake, Ginny going to sit beside Snipes.   
"Hey. How goes tha sista sittin?" Jake grinned to Skittery and whispered behind his hand. He shook his head and sunk down in the booth.   
"Terrible," he whispered back, "she's a complete menace."   
The conversation went on and Skittery got a sandwich. He asked Ginny if she wanted one, but she declined. So Skittery, Snipeshooter, and Jake discussed the week's headlines, and how much they had to make up to get people to buy them. Ginny just sat there, feeling out of place.   


*****  


After a few minutes of their incessant babbling (that's what it was like to her), she stood up to find someone else to talk to. Looking over her shoulder, she was kind of hurt Skittery hadn't even paid attention to the fact that she was gone. She saw the three she had been introduced to, Mush, Blink, and.....she didn't remember the last one's name. She thought it had something to do with gambling, but she wasn't sure. Oh well. She'd just go over and sit down. Ginny was sure they'd accept her. She was, after all, Skittery's sister.   
She did as planned and sat between Mush and Blink. All three glanced at her, their conversation halted.  
"Hey, aren't you Skitt's sista?" the unknown one said, examining her closely.   
"Yes," a little nervously, she didn't like being under a microscope like that. But now that she had sat down, she couldn't go anywhere.  
"Why aren't you with him?" Mush said, speaking softly.  
"I got bored. He is dreadfully dull." Race and Blink laughed and the former mocked her.  
"_Dreadful_ ya says?" he elbowed Mush, who wasn't really paying attention to him.   
"Ya can stay with us okay? We won't be borin'. We can even get back ta tha lodging house and play some cards if ya want." Mush's tone was gentle and his eyes shimmered as he spoke to Ginny. She was entranced.   
"Sure," she breathed. Just about then, Blink and Race got done laughing. Mush stood and offered her his arm like a true gentleman. Ginny took it and smiled brightly at him. They made their way out and Ginny could feel the newsies' eyes on her back as they left.   
"Who is the short one with the bad attitude?"   
"Attitude? Oh, ya means Race? He's not so bad. Give him time ta warm up ta ya."   
"So do you _enjoy _being a newsy?" she asked, as if it was terrible to be a newsy. Mush shrugged, not taking note of the distaste in her voice.  
"S'not bad. Ain't that great either," he shrugged.   
"School was like that. I hated the work, but it was good because I got to see my boyfriend." Mush's face fell.   
"Boy...friend?"  
"My _former_ boyfriend, I should say. Since I had to come here to find Skittery, and I had to move away from Queens, I had to leave him. He wasn't really that great. Sure we had some good times but he is not someone I'd like to spend my life with. You know?" By that time, they had gotten to the Lodging House. They climbed the steps to the bunkroom and sat down at the card table.   
"So," Mush began, shuffling the cards expertly, "what do you know how to play?"   
"Well," she ticked them off on her fingers, "gin, go fish, old maid, kitty, solitaire, and ..... that's about it."   
"No poker experience? I have a lot to teach you before the rest of the guys get here."   
So in the next hour and a half, Ginny learned to play poker. Mush was amazed. She was a natural, he kept saying. Ginny just smiled and batted her eyelashes at him, while beating him like no one had ever beat him at five card draw.   
A little while later, when the sun was starting to go down, the boys started coming in from Tibby's, selling the evening papers, and going about daily business. When Race and Blink came in, they immediately sat down at the poker table. Since Mush was across from her, she got separated from him on both sides. Race was to her left and Blink to her right.   
"Goil, go back an see ya brudda. We's got some poka ta play." Race told her.   
"My name is _Ginny_. And I can play too." She was indignant. Race shrugged.   
"Know how?" Ginny nodded. "Join in," he stated simply and started dealing. "Seven card stud, ante up." From those words on, all the money either went into the pot, or went to Ginny. Race was shocked. At the end of the night, when she had counted up the three dollars she had won, she looked at Race smugly.   
"Well," she asked Race, "what do you think of me now?" Race grinned.  
"I tink I ain't neva bettin against youse again. Hey, ya wanna go down ta tha tracks wit me tomorrow?"  
"Not so fast, Higgins. She's gotta learn how ta woik tomorrow. She's played around long enough." Skittery came up behind Ginny. Race just shrugged, but Ginny's face turned red with rage.   
"Hey, just because we share the same mother doesn't mean you _own_ me!" The freckles spattered over her cheeks turned dark red. She had no quarrels about who was the boss of her life. She was her own leader, and nothing was going to change that. The whole bunkroom quieted at her voice, for it was loud enough. Skittery was stunned into silence as well, until he heard Kloppman's heavy footsteps approaching the bunkroom door.   
"Look what ya did!" Skittery hissed to Ginny, murder in his eyes. The door opened, right near where Ginny was standing.   
"What's all the commotion?" The old caretaker looked around the room slowly, his intentions clear. If he had to come up again, there would be hell to pay.  
"Keep it down, understand? No fights. Your residency here is not insured." Ginny could swear he looked straight at her with the last words. He walked back down the stairs, closing the door behind his old self.   
Every single pair of eyes were on Ginny and she shifted uncomfortably.   
"I'm sorry. I just don't like people telling me what to do." Eyes were rolled at her and they went about unwinding and getting ready for bed, some already climbing into their bunks. Ginny turned to Skittery. He sighed heavily.   
"'Kay, I'm sorry. Ya gotta learn ta woik though. Ya can't live heah if ya don't pay. An' I can't pay for ya foreva. Ya can become a newsy or you can go work at the factory down tha street. Eitha way, it's gonna be work. Though the factory pays less and the work is harder. Ya gotta decide," he ended his speech with a flourish, shaking his head and climbing up to his bunk. It really was a speech too, Skittery didn't really talk that much.   
Ginny mulled it over, and heaved an equally deep sigh.   
"I'll think about it. Give me until morning," he nodded and she set off to her new bunk, underneath Snitch and Itey.  


-2-  


"It's time ta get up. Hey, ya awake?" the gentle words were accompanied by a soft shake of her shoulder. She opened her eyes and the blurry vision of Snitch appeared. Ginny sat up, wiping the sleep from her stormy gray eyes.   
"What time is it?" her voice was scratchy and she cleared her throat.   
"Seven sharp. Betta get ready, 'fore they runs outta papes. Skitts gonna teach ya how ta sell tha papes?"   
"I'm not sure." Snitch shrugged and walked off to the washroom. She was startled to realize he was in his underwear the whole time and she hadn't even stopped to gawk. Snitch had a nice body, she noticed. She could see into the washroom and just gazed at him.   
"Ginny."   
"What?" she replied, not even taking her eyes off Snitch's thinly covered backside.   
"C'mon get ready. Did ya wanna go ta tha factory, or sell wit me?" Ginny looked up to find Skittery leaning over her.   
"Oh it's _you_...I guess I'll sell with you," she stood, the blanket slipping off her, to reveal her in the clothes she wore the day before. She had slept in them to prevent any boys from having a nightly peep show. Skittery had already gotten ready and was ready to go. Ginny told him she'd be right back, and went to wash her face and use the bathroom. The boys were so polite, they all let her go before them, even though they were dying to go.   
She came out a moment later, refreshed, and followed Skittery out the door. they walked the two blocks to the distribution center in silence and it wasn't until Skittery slid the coin under the grate that he broke the silence, by saying,   
"Eighty papes," and that was the last thing he said until he started shouting the headlines.   
Ginny was already bored, and she shifted the twenty he had given her under her arm. He wasn't even giving her any direction. She saw the way he glared at her after she had yelled, did he not like her at all? Mother had told her that her brother would love to have her and take her on immediately. So far, I didn't seem that way. He seemed distant. Maybe he was always like that. Yeah, she thought, that's it. He's like that to everyone.   
She satisfied her fears and looked on the front page. 'Brigand cx Gets Two Years', didn't seem like such a big deal. He didn't even steal anything of extreme value. She glanced at Skittery, whom she was keeping pace with, yelling,   
"Burglar put away for life!" Ginny wrinkled her nose. Lying was something she couldn't do. Dropping behind, she stopped to scan the crowd. Within moments she had lost Skittery and frankly, didn't care.   
She headed left, threading through the seemingly thousands of people. She saw a fruit cart and thought about buying something. Her stomach grumbled to ascertain that. Picking up an apple, she studied it for bruises. Someone brushed by her and she stepped back a few paces, to make room. The merchant mistook this for trying to make a subtle getaway and started screaming at her.   
"Come back with that! Police! Someone's stealing my apples! Arrest her!" Before she could say anything, or even comprehend what was happening, a uniformed police officer dragged her away.   
At first, she noticed she was just like the front page. Then she suddenly wondered what Skittery would say to her about this.   


-3-  
  


"All rise. Court is now in session. Justice Wargrave presiding," the bailiff's dry words hung heavily over Ginny's heart. She stood up slowly, her head bowed in sadness.   
The judge sat in his seat, ruffling around in his papers.   
"Ginger Morton, stealing. Have you someone representing you?"   
Ginny shook her head, without meeting the judge's stony gaze.  
"Good. I have an appointment soon and this will be quick," he pounded his gravel.  
"Ten dollars, or five months confined in the House of Refuge. Do you have the means to pay the fee?"   
Tears welled up in her glazed eyes and Ginny shook her head.   
Later that day, Ginny got her first look at the room she was to stay in for the next five months. There were little boys milling around, some lying in their bunks, pasty-faced and sickly. After the attendant left Ginny alone in the room with the boys, one who looked to be her age with dark brown hair and dull blue eyes sat on her bed next to her. Ginny didn't even look up.   
"Girly. Hey, girly. What're you doing here? No girls come in here. Girls don't break the law. Why're you here?"   
Shortly came the whispered reply:  
"They think I'm a thief."   
"A thief? Wha'd you steal?"   
Ginny's eyes shut tight but a tear still managed to escape.   
"Nothing."   
"Got a family? Maybe we can get word out to them, get you outta here."   
"My brother. Skittery. He's a newsy," Ginny looked up finally, making eye contact with the boy, who smiled sweetly.   
"Which lodging house?"   
"Manhattan. I think Jack Kelley is the leader."   
"Oh! Jack! Hey Tenpin," he called to another boy across the room, "got a girl that's under Kelley. She needs out. Can you get word across?"   
The boy nodded.  
"Great. It's just a matter of time. Just don't do anything to make Snyder suspect you, put you in solitary confinement. It's hell in there."   
Ginny smiled appreciatively.  
"Why are you doing this for me?"   
He shrugged.   
"Wanted to help. I get no wheres to go. But you got a place out there. You need to be with someone." He smiled at her again.  
"I'm Ginny."   
"I'm Demitri, nice to meet you."   
For the next few days, Demitri taught Ginny the rules of the Refuge, what to do and what not to do, how to learn to not eat all of the one meal you got at one time so you wouldn't be hungry the rest of the day.   
Demitri found out about how in the few days Ginny had known Skittery, she had worshipped him. All she had ever wanted from him was acceptance. She had yet to gain it.   


*****  


Skittery had sold all his papes and was brooding on the front steps of the lodging house over his lost sister. What was he going to do? What would his mother in Heaven think of him? He had lost his own sister! True, it was in the swarming streets of a major metropolitan city, but even so!   
"Jack needs to talk to you."   
Skittery glanced up to see Dutchy standing over him.   
"What about?"   
"I don't know. He seemed real eager to see you though. He's at the distribution center," Dutchy replied and walked passed him, into the lodging house.  
Skittery sighed and got up, trudging down the sidewalk to the center, kicking maliciously at stray rocks that were unlucky enough to be in his path.   
He came upon Jack surrounded by boys that Skittery didn't recognize.   
"Jack," he called, "you needed to talk to me?"   
"Skitts. Yeah. Your sister-"   
"What about my sister?!"  
"She's in the Refuge! Turns out she was caught stealing from a sidestreet cart. But she's innocent, she had just picked it up to look at it, so she says. These here are boys who've been in the Refuge and keep lookout for any newcomers who are innocent," Jack motioned to the group circling him.   
Skittery wasn't sure what to say. Okay, so he was possibly going to get his sister back. But what would happen when she was back?   
"Skittery. You in there?" Jack was looking at him kind of funny.  
"Oh yeah, I was just thinking. So can they get her out? Are we going to get her out?"   
"We're going to go in tonight. We'll need to get some rope, a screwdriver, and we'll be set."   
So the plans were made and the materials were gathered. Eleven that night found Skittery, Jack, and Blink outside of the Refuge. Jack had asked Blink to come along in case they needed extra strength.   
They got up on the roof and Skittery was lowered down on the rope. He took the screwdriver and got to work on the iron bars. This made more noise than he'd wished, so he had to pause every once in a while to make sure no one was coming.   
He managed to get all but one screw out, because he wanted it to swing down on the last screw. But he hadn't expected the last screw to be missing. The bars clattered on the cobblestone below, and a few lights turned on.   
"Ginny!" Skittery hissed, loudly as he could hiss.  
Ginny sat up, she had woken at the clang of the bars.  
"Skittery?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sqinted at the clock in the darkness.  
"Yes!" came the reply and she went to the window.   
"Come to break me out brother?" She smiled.   
Skittery was impatient. He heard Jack calling to him about Snyder on his way to check.   
"We have to hurry. Climb on!" Ginny was about to jump on the window sill and latch onto Skittery when she saw Demitri at her side.   
"I'll miss you. Make the most of yourself," Dimitri said sadly to her. Then, he wrpped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. When they parted, Ginny was blushing madly. She mumbled a goodbye.   
"I won't forget you," he said to her as she vanished outside.   
He hurried back into his bed and pulled on the covers just as the door burst open. Snyder, looking very demure in his bedclothes, was seething.   
"What is all this racket about?"   
Many snickered silently.  
Outside, Ginny was being lectured by Skittery.  
"-and I don't ever want to have to come and rescue you from here again!"   
Skittery's shoulders slumped a bit and his features softened.   
"But I am glad you are okay."   
"You mean it?" Ginny cried. That was the closest thing to his grace she had come.   
Skittery nodded and Ginny ran over and hugged him.   
It was the beginning to a beautiful relationship.   
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
